So close, yet still a sweet feat.

Byline: Shawn Miller The Register-Guard

Of the 12 records that were broken this season by the Oregon softball team, one changed list remains bittersweet - the roster.

Oregon coach Kathy Arendsen said she remains "heartbroken" that seniors Suzie Barnes, Ann Marie Topps and Kristi Leiter ended their careers the way they did, with a loss in the regional championship game on Sunday in South Carolina.

Barnes, a second baseman who started her final 212 games, broke UO single-season records for runs scored (64) and steals (41) - the latter tying her for 10th best in Pac-10 history. Topps shattered the single-season mark for home runs with 19 as the designated hitter. Leiter led one of the Pac-10's top defenses with conference bests of 563 putouts and 31 double plays at first base.

"They've brought consistency," Arendsen said. "They've raised the level of what the expectation is. They are amazing young women who worked incredibly hard and were tremendous leaders."

The Ducks also will likely be without their top player, redshirt freshman Jenn Salling - one of 11 finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Salling, the starting shortstop for the Canadian national team last summer when it qualified for the 2008 Olympics, has to endure a training camp that wraps up in mid-October before the Olympic roster is announced.

"If I do make the team, I probably won't be here during the winter and definitely not spring," said Salling, who will find out on Sunday if she is named an all-American.

At one point during conference play, Salling had 12 consecutive games with at least one RBI. She was named newcomer of the year and first-team all-Pac-10 after breaking the UO single-season records for batting average (.481), RBIs (73), total bases (138), slugging percentage (.873) and walks (46).

As a team, Oregon improved in every major offensive category from one year ago - the only season in Arendsen's tenure that the Ducks didn't make the postseason.

Oregon batted .306, with six players owning an average better than .300. Last season, the team batted .254 with two players over .300. The Ducks also raised their home run total by 35, their RBIs by 147, their hits by 151 and their runs scored by 158. Oregon's 126 steals also demolished the previous mark of 85 and ranks sixth in Pac-10 history.

"People stepped up who haven't stepped up before," said sophomore Sari-Jane Jenkins, whose 82 hits and 38 steals this season rank second on the single-season lists. "We felt we had a lot of leadership on this team, a lot of people came out and showed heart, and I think that was the biggest step of the season."

Defensively, the Ducks broke the single-season records for double plays (35), fielding percentage (.973) and fewest errors (52). Oregon had the conference's top three players in assists and double plays.

Both of Oregon's pitchers, junior ace Alicia Cook and sophomore Melissa Rice, finished with more than 20 victories - both ranking in the conference's top 10 - and with ERAs under 3.00. Each also ranked among the top 10 in opponent's batting average, innings pitched, appearances and starts.

"No. 1, I want to stay healthy next year. I don't want to miss games," said Cook, who missed 11 of the first 15 conference games because of a bacterial infection.

"I'm going to work really hard this summer just to keep getting my ball to move more, location, just use (this season) as a building block."

Brittany Rumfelt, a left-handed pitcher, highlights five incoming recruits the Ducks landed for next season. One is a catcher and the other three are infielders.

"I'd like to think it is the best class we've brought in to date, with talent, but until they get on the field and start producing ... it's hard to say," Arendsen said. "They answer the needs we have in our program."

The Ducks will also get a boost with the return of outfielder Kayleen Hudson, who took a medical redshirt this season - her senior year - after suffering a stress fracture in her foot the week before the season began.